MLB trade candidate: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito
Like the White Sox in general last season, Lucas Giolito had a bit of a down year. Now, with the Guardians and Twins likely being at the top of the AL Central and the White Sox doing nothing other than sign outfielder Andrew Benintendi this offseason, they could be in a very similar spot to where they were in 2022.
In 2022, Giolito struggled as he had an ERA close to 5.00. In 30 starts, he had a 4.90 ERA, an 81 ERA+, a 4.06 FIP, 1.435 WHIP, and an average of 3.4 walks and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings. However, in the previous three seasons, Giolito received AL Cy Young award votes, finishing as high as sixth in 2019. In those three seasons, he averaged a 1.076 WHIP, 2.9 walks, and 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings along with a 3.47 ERA and a 129 ERA+.
Giolito is a free agent at the end of the season so if the White Sox aren’t in contention and if they don’t think he could be extended, there will be plenty of teams interested in him, especially if he pitches like he did from 2019 through 2021.